Hand-crank



F. A. ROSS.

HAND CRANK.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 27. I920.

1,399,445, Patented Dec. 6, 1921.

F WEN UNITED STATES FRAIIK A. ROSS, F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON.

HAN D-CRANK.

Application filed July 27,

To all from it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A. Ross, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane, in Spokane county,and State of Washington, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Hand-Cranks, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to an improved hand crank designedespecially for use as a hand lever for revolving rotaryload supportingmembers and involving a clutch device that is adapted to becomedisengaged from the cranking device when the speed of the rotated memberexceeds that of the crank device, thus providing a safety, apparatus foran. attendant who is actuating the hand crank. I

As a practical application of the principles of my invention I haveadapted it especially for use in connection with the unloading ordumping roller at the rear of a lumber truck. Usually the lumber ispiled upon a series of spaced rollers, of which the roller at the rearis provided with-pins or friction devices to engage the timber or lumberat the bottom of the supported pile, and the rear roller is revolved, asby my hand crank, to transfer the pile to the rear of truck. As themoving pile passes over the rollers the entire weight of the pile isfinally imposed on the rear actuated roller and as the pile tiltsdownwardly to the rear this actuated roller, vbecause of the increasedspeed of movement of the falling or dumping pile of lumber, is revolvedvwith great speed. Now it will readily be apparent that if a hand crankof ordinary construction is attached or temporarily connected with the'actuating roller for actuating'the same, the crank will spin with theactuated shaft orroller, endangering the person who has been handlingthe crank, or the crank maybe thrown by centrifugal force from the shaftor roller, with equal danger to persons standing near.

To eliminate these objectionable features and dangerous conditions Ihave provided the hand crank with a clutch device that is operable untilthe rotary movement of the actuated shaft or roller exceeds that of thecrank device, and under such conditions the crank device becomesdisengaged from the shaft or roller and hangs free of the action of therevolved shaft or roller.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated one complete example ofthe Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 6, 19 21.

1920. Serial NO. 399,280.

physical embodiment of my invention adapted foruse as above described,but it will of course be understood that the device of the invention maywith equal adaptability be utilized in connection with means for movinga. load, which, after its initial movement increases the speed of itsactuating rotary member beyond that of the hand crank.

lVith these and other objects in View the invention consists in certainnovel combina tions and arrangements of parts in a reversible hand crankdevice, whereby the crank may be revolved continuously, or may withequal facility be utilized as an intermittently acting oscillatinglever.

Figure 1 is a view in section transversely of the longitudinal axialline of movement of the hand crank.

Fig. 2 is a view also in section taken at right angles to that of thesection in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the reversible pawl of the clutchdevice.

In the preferred form of my invention as illustrated in the drawingsIhave utilized a. conventional form of crank arm 1 and handle 2, theformer being of a flat metal plate of the proper dimensions for handoperations. The crank head 3 is a circular, open center member,fashioned with a shank 4 that is recessed to receive the end of the arm.1, and is rigidly attached thereto by means of the bolts 5, 5, to form arigid structure. y

Within the hollow open head 3 is located a bushing 6 with both its endsprojecting beyond the sides of the head and provided with an angularcentral opening 7 in this instance shown as square, to fit over the endof a shaft or other device to be revolved by the hand crank. Thebushing, Within the head, is provided with two sets of diametricallydisposed, peripheral notches 8, and is retained in the head by means ofthe side plates 9 and 10 that lit against the shoulders 11 formed as anenlargement on the periphery of the bushing in which the notches 8occur. Preferably an annular groove 6 is fashioned in the periphery ofthe enlar ed portion of the bushing, as indicated "'n li ig. 2. Thebushing is centered in the head and retained therein by he plates 9 and10 that are rigidly fixed at the sides of the head b means of the boltsor screws 12.

The bushing is free to turn within the head, unless operativelyconnected theremember co-acting with the head and bushing is a pawl ordetent device illustrated clearly in- Fig. 3. Here the pin 13 which ispassed transversely through the head and journaled in openings 14 inthe'side plates, is provided with a pawl or ratchet member 151 integraltherewithand projected therefrom, and thepin is fashioned with a pair ofspaced annular grooves 16 and 17. A

detent 18 at the end of the flat spring 19 is adapted to engage eitherof these two.

grooves, and the spring is secured at 20 in the head of a screw 21threaded into the shank 4 at one side thereof. The pawl is reversible inits relation to the notched bushing and its pin is laterally shiftablein its bearin s 14, in order that the detent 18 may beflmade to engagethe inner groove 16 of-the pinfor a purpose to be'describedr In Fig. 1it is apparent that the pawl is designed to engage in any one ofthenotches 8 of the bushing, in order that by turning the crank handle 1the rotary movement of the head may be transmitted to the bushingthrough the medium of the pawl in the notch. As shown in the drawingsthe crank device is designed to turn a shaft to the right or clock-wise.I Within the head and opening into the cen:

tral opening thereof two recesses 22 and 23 are provided in which thepawl 15 may be retracted, and a pair of centering pins for the pawl as24 and 24 are projected through the Walls of these recesses to bearagainst the pawl and hold it in operative position in its notch. Aspring 25 is interposed be-,

tween the pin or plunger 2 l'and the screw cap or plug 26 in the'socket27 in the headshank to hold the centering pin in position against thepawl. I

a In operation, with the squared hole of the bushingon the complementaryend of a shaft, and with the pawl engaged in a notch as shown in Fig. 1by turning the crank arm 1 to the right the bushing is also turned andwith it the shaft to which the crank is to natural position below theshaft. "When the speed of revolution of the shaft is sufficientlydecreased, the spring pin 24 may again force the pawl into one of thenotches of its revolutions.

herein is- V 1 1. The combination wlth a crank arm, and

8, but such action will not take place until the bushing has reachedpractically the end If it is desired to use the crank for turning ashaft to the left or anti-clockwise, the

detent 18 is first disengaged from the annular groove 17 and then thepin 13 is slid through itsbearing plates, to the left in ,Fig. 2 untilthe pm protrudes sufficiently to permit the spr ng detent to engage theroove 16, and in this positiom-t'he pawl has been shifted over in frontof the recess 23 in the head, but still in position to enlata-ble leverThusrby turning the crank handle through an arc of say 45, it may thenbe swung backward on an idle stroke with the pawl disengaged from anotch, and

thenthe working stroke in the proper direction will again cause theengagement of the pawl'with a notch in the bushing, rendering the deviceapplicable as an intermittent, oscillatable', crank or lever. While Ihave referred to the shaft to be turned as a roller shaft, it will bereadily understood that the bushingmay be applied as a socket member tonumerous other elements similar to a shaft and for various purposesother than the one exemplified herein. y 3

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new anddesire-to cover head having a circular opening at itscenter andamexternally notched socket-bushing in: said head, saidhead having anexterio'r enlargement and side plates engaging said enlargement toretain the bushing, of a shiftjable pawl pivoted in said head to engagethenotched bushing and lock the head an bushing for movement in aselected direction, and said head havingoppositely disposed recesses toreceive said pawl.

2. The combinationwlth a crank arm, and

head having a rotatable, notched, socketbushing therein, of a shiftablepawldevice pivoted in said head, and said head having oppositelydisposed recesses adapted to receive said pawl, for the purposedescribed.

3. The combination with an open head and a socket bushing therein havingan intermediate, exterior enlargement and notches as described, of sideplates engaging said enlargement, a pin supported in said plates andhaving an integral pawl thereon to engage a selected notch, a recess inthe head to receive said pawl in retracted position, and a springpressed plunger in the head to engage said pawl for the purposedescribed.

4. The combination with a crank head, notched socket-bushing andretaining means therefor, of a pin having an annular groove and a springdetent engaged in said groove, a pawl integral with the pin and adaptedto swing therewith, and said head having a recess to receive the pawlwhen in retracted position, for the purpose described.

5. The combination with a crank arm and head, a socket-bushin in thehead having an intermediate exterlor enlargement, side plates forretaining said bushing, and said bushing having spaced notches asdescribed, of a pin journaled in said plates and provided with a pair ofspaced annular grooves, means for engaging either of said grooves tohold the pin, in laterally shifted position, a pawl on the pin to engagea selected notch, and said head fashioned with oppositely disposedrecesses to receive the pawl in retracted position, for the purposedescribed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my si ature.

FRANK A. OSS.

